Possible role of serotoninergic system in the neurobehavioral impairment induced by acute methylmercury exposure in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract

Adult zebrafish were treated acutely with methylmercury (1.0 or 5.0 μg g(-1), i.p.) and, 24h after treatment, were tested in two behavioral models of anxiety, the novel tank and the light/dark preference tests. At the smaller dose, methylmercury produced a marked anxiogenic profile in both tests, while the greater dose produced hyperlocomotion in the novel tank test. These effects were accompanied by a decrease in extracellular levels of serotonin, and an increase in extracellular levels of tryptamine-4,5-dione, a partially oxidized metabolite of serotonin. A marked increase in the formation of malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress, accompanied these parameters. It is suggested that methylmercury-induced oxidative stress produced mitochondrial dysfunction and originated tryptamine-4,5-dione, which could have further inhibited tryptophan hydroxylase. These results underscore the importance of assessing acute, low-level neurobehavioral effects of methylmercury.